Soon after the Congress voted on the Indo-US civilian nuclear Bill, Nicholas Burns, US Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs and America's key negotiator, spoke to Managing Editor RAJ CHENGAPPA. Excerpts:

advertisement

December 25, 2006

ISSUE DATE: December 25, 2006

UPDATED: September 9, 2011 10:29 IST

Nicholas Burns

Soon after the Congress voted on the Indo-US civilian nuclear Bill,
Nicholas Burns, US Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs and
America's key negotiator, spoke to Managing Editor RAJ CHENGAPPA.
Excerpts:

Q. You said you were 100 per cent satisfied with the final Bill passed by the Congress. But India does not seem to be.A. What the Bill does is that it fits well within the parameters of the two agreements of July 18, 2005 and March 2, 2006 that we had between us. Indians must reflect on the following points: India is being liberated from its nuclear isolation; India is being welcomed into the international proliferation regime; India will be open to financing and technology in a way that has not been for 35 years. These are enormous benefits.

Q. In terms of reprocessing and enrichment, India considers being given access to the full fuel cycle as key to the agreement.A. The US, as a matter of policy, does not sell enrichment and reprocessing equipment to anyone around the world. And, normally, we don't receive spent fuel from countries. But with several countries we have made exceptions. So, if the Indian Government would like to discuss this, we could discuss it in the context of the 123 Agreement between us.

Q. The Bill also says that if India tests, the deal is off.A. This is an issue where we don't see eye to eye. We believe there is no need for further nuclear tests by India. I think we have been clear about what the consequences could be if there is a nuclear test by India.

Q. One of the irritants is the insistence of a convergence in our foreign policy on Iran's nuclear programme. A. I don't have any concerns about it because, while India and the US have very different policies on Iran, both are in the mainstream of international thought in trying to deny Iran nuclear weapons.

Q. There's more to be done to seal the deal like getting the 123 Agreement and also convincing the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). A. Yes, a fair amount is left but the Gordian knot has been cut. You know, at the NSG, the US is acting as India's campaign manager.

Q. What can India look forward to in its ties with the US?A. I think we have crossed a great psychological hurdle. This deal opens up a million possibilities. We can now tackle other issues that perhaps in the past we have shied away from. There is no question that India and the US would be looking forward to ever closer military ties. We are both victims of terrorism and so, the US wishes to partner India in countering terrorism both in this region and globally. We can do much more to open up trade and investment bridges. All this can unleash the potential of the relationship we share.

Get real-time alerts and all the news on your phone with the all-new India Today app. Download from